This somewhat mild afternoon in mid-February, I admire the splendid foliage of a small patch of Italian arum (Arum italicum, below) struggling against a shallow rooted Tupelo (Nyssa sylvatica) in the shaded side garden. The few sprigs of arum were rescued a year ago from a second small colony on the verge of failure, competing…

I am, at first, cautious in adding plants to the garden. Don’t laugh, I tell Barbara, the knowing skeptic. Many, perhaps most, purchases are considered for cost and the likelihood that each will thrive. I should, but don’t always consider where the plant will fit into this crowded garden. Once objections are satisfied, I proceed,…

The end is near, no matter that snow covers the garden this morning. Spring’s growth becomes more evident by the day as buds swell and sedums and other perennials sprout colorful new leaves. All are small with several weeks of winter ahead, but this is the gardener’s encouragement after too many weeks of bleakness. Of…

In the grayness of winter, I declare that no flowers of hellebores are ugly or anything less than splendid. Still, the gardener must recognize the remarkable efforts of breeders who have introduced so many marvelous variations. I continue my devotion to hellebores planted many years ago and to the many seedlings that have been transplanted…

With too many idle hours in the first weeks of retirement, I am nearly as anxious to get working outdoors as I am impatient for plants to wake from their winter slumber. No doubt, my winter purchases have exceeded those of prior years, and soon, I look forward to beginning to figure where all will…

There are no ugly hellebores, at least none that I’ve met. While several have been flowering since December, the peak season begins in February in this garden. Dozens are flowering today, with many more dozens soon to follow. No doubt, flowers of older varieties are less remarkable than splendid, new introductions. Flowers of many oldtimers…

I learn lessons in the garden slowly, most often not at all until some heartbreak beats through the dense wall of inattention. I do not resolve to change in any new year, but I note errors made in the garden from the prior year that will (possibly) be addressed. Errors in my personal behavior remain…

The ‘Wisley Supreme’ witch hazel (Hamamelis mollis ‘Wisley Supreme’, below) planted two years ago was nearly lost in the jumble of toad lilies (Tricyrtis) and tall Verbena bonariensis beside the greenhouse. I believe that I stumbled over the woody stems last summer, discovering the still small witch hazel so that the worst of the surrounding…

I don’t count, but years ago, there must have been a hundred or more hostas in the garden. They were simple as long as I planted out of the afternoon sun. And then came the deer. I suppose they were always here, but as nearby forests and fields turned to houses, I began to see…

“Oh, what a beautiful sunset. Too bad I can’t see it,” Barbara says, peering from the west facing sunroom through Japanese maples, a stewartia, and variegated dogwood. Indeed, the view is obstructed, somewhat by intention, but mostly by the passage of decades of growth. No doubt, my wife’s objections are pointed towards me, and I…

With snow melting, I am now confident planting a second schefflera (Schefflera taiwaniana) along the driveway. Here, the snow has melted more quickly than the rest of the garden, but the schefflera replaces an often damaged, non-remontant hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla) planted years ago that rarely displays more than a flower or two. The mophead has…

A bunch of years ago, I built a pond in the garden. I knew just a little, but needed to know more to best serve customers of our landscape business. After rejiggering the pond several times, I finally got it nearly right. But, in addition to figuring some things to do and not to, I…